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NICK GARDINER The Recorder and Times A recent relapse has landed Brockville multiple sclerosis sufferer Kathy Francis in hospital where she wonders if she will ever walk again. Francis believes an angioplasty treatment unvavailable in Canada could relieve her symptoms.

But instead of spending the holidays with her 89-year-old mother, a daughter expecting her first child and her son and four-year-old grandson, Francis fears she'll be stuck in bed at Brockville General Hospital.

"I have no expectation of getting out by Dec. 25," Francis, 58, told The Recorder and Times during an interview at her bedside Thursday.

"I have never missed a Christmas with my family before in my entire life. We all get together because of the little guys. That's what it's all about."

Francis, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, was admitted to hospital Monday after suffering a relapse she describes as the "worst-ever" since she was diagnosed with the disease in 2001.

"I'm afraid. You don't know how afraid I am," said Francis.

"I've had attacks before but I've always been able to walk out of the hospital. This time, if I do recover, I fear it is going to take a long time."

More disturbingly, Francis is sure her situation would have been avoidable had Canadians been eligible for an angioplasty procedure known as CCSVI (chronic cerebro-spinal venous insufficiency) designed to unplug blocked neck veins that are believed to exacerbate MS symptoms.

The treatment is available for MS patients in the U.S. and other countries where it has been used by many Canadians, including local residents involved with the CCSVI Brockville advocacy group.

But for Francis, living on a fixed income since the MS forced her to leave a job as an office manager in 2005, an estimated $7,000 pricetag for angioplasty to clear the veins is prohibitive.

Ironically, a similar procedure costs about $1,500 in Canada but it is specifically forbidden for MS sufferers such as Francis despite being a common treatment for many other ailments.

Advocates of the treatment, and Francis herself, say it is not a cure for MS but has been proven in many instances to relieve symptoms and provide a new lease on life.

That was driven home last June when MS patient Tim Donovan of New Brunswick, who was confined to a wheelchair prior to receiving the CCSVI treatment, stopped in Brockville as part of his New Hope Tour for MS where he showed off his newfound mobility.

Just 14 months ago, Francis felt a glimmer of hope herself after having an ultrasound test in Toronto which confirmed her jugular vein is plugged and preventing a normal flow of blood to the brain.

But after her latest setback, and with no movement from the provincial government and only limited progress on the federal side, Francis is understandably discouraged.

"I just feel Ontario and Canada as a whole has shut the door in our faces. I used to be a proud Canadian but I'm not proud of Canada anymore.

"The science is out there but Canada has turned a blind eye to everything."

Francis has seen evidence of the treatment's success up close. Her daughter, Megan Redmond, 33, was diagnosed with MS at the same time as Francis in 2001.

In 2010, Megan had to give up a promising teaching career in Ottawa when the onset of harsh MS symptoms sapped her energy and she left work.

"She was just sleeping her life away. She had no strength," said Francis.

But after receiving the CCSVI treatment in Rhode Island in November, Megan has regained much of her health and returned to teaching part time in September, said Francis.

"And now she's expecting her first child."

While frustrated with the monolithic pace of federal response to the procedure, Francis acknowledges there are federal MPs of all stripes, including Leeds-Grenville MP Gord Brown, who support efforts to provide the procedure to MS patients.

Notably, debate is expected to resume early in the new year on second reading of a private member's bill from Etobicoke North Liberal MP Kirsty Duncan calling for the development of a national strategy on the CCSVI treatment.

Still, it is impossible to predict if the bill will pass or whether it would lead to anything productive like clinical trials.

Furthermore, at this point, Francis wonders if the results will come too late to help her situation.

It's a tough pill to swallow after she went two years without a serious attack following a decision to ditch the prescribed MS medication she believes actually made her condition worse, echoing a lament of many MS patients

Since that day, Francis was growing stronger and was proud of an exercise routine she developed at the Brockville and District YMCA.

"Three weeks ago I was at the 'Y' doing cardio every day and lifting weights every other day. Now I'm bedridden," said Francis.